Why do we need Applet support?

[HKabaker]

In another thread, I'm trying to work out a problem deploying WebHelp because the file webhelp.jar in RH 7 WebHelp output cannot be unzipped (or un-jarred).

This file is used for applet support, according to the RH help topic on output files, when you select the DHTML > Applet > Pure HTML option when generating WebHelp.

Yet, when I generate DHTML > Pure HTML (no applet), the identical jar file appears in the WebHelp output. There is a flag in the launch file and whskin_homepage.htm on whether applet support is on or off, depending on the setting. So when support is off, webhelp.jar is just an appendix.

Aside from the myriad questions about how RH is handling this, and why this is coming up just now, I have a more basic question: When would a user need applet support in the absence of DHTML support? What WebHelp features would be broken or disabled? What browsers would this affect?

Here's my suspicion: This code was invented for older IE browsers, or maybe old Netscape browsers. We still have a lot of browser-specific code in WebHelp that seems to be trying to satisfy IE 4 and 5, and Netscape 4 through 6.

Unless I hear that any users in this century will be adversely affected, my inclination is to toss out the jar file altogether. On testing, I can't find anything broken in Firefox that wasn't broken before.

Any ideas?

Harvey

[HKabaker]

On more research, it seems that only Navigator 4 is flagged for applet support. The relevant pieces are in whskin_homepage.htm and projectlaunchfile.htm.

Am I reading the code correctly?

Harvey

[HKabaker]

Adobe is working on this and has asked me for more information.

Among the points I sent to them, I find webhelp.jar apparently governs the display of Search and Index panes. Options are DHTML, applet support and pure HTML. Applet treatment is given to Navigator 4.1 through 4.5.

The webhelp.jar file definitely is being corrupted in generating WebHelp. I can't explain why our IT code deployers are just now having trouble with it.

And because it gets put into the WebHelp output directory regardless of the options selected in the single-source WebHelp layout, I can't begin to guess why no one else has had any problem.

If anyone has a copy of Netscape 4.1 still lying around, please tell us how it displays Search and Index.

Thanks.

Harvey

[GEWB]

Hello Harvey -

Confirmed: RH X5 WebHelp gens the webhelp.jar file and it is corrupted:

Java Virtual Machine Launcher
Invalid or corrupt jarfile C:\[path]


Regards,
Gary